The 2025 Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks are a team made up of resilience and hard work. The team’s work ethic and drive has been commendable throughout the postseason. Let’s take a look at how each member of the AHL Canucks’ Calder Cup Playoff roster was acquired.
Joe Arntsen
Arntsen, formerly the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, was signed by the AHL Canucks at the start of this season. His current deal expires at the end of Abbotsford’s playoff run. He has suited up for two of the AHL Canucks’ Calder Cup Playoff games.
Arshdeep Bains
A fan favourite, Bains was signed to his NHL entry-level contract in March of 2022. Since then, he has been a key piece for Abbotsford both offensively and defensively. He averaged a point per game during the Calder Cup Playoffs with seven goals and 17 assists in 24 games. His current contract expires at the end of the 2024–25 season, making him an RFA.
Sammy Blais
Initially signed to a PTO with the Vancouver Canucks at the start of the 2024–25 season, Blais was sent down to Abbotsford after Vancouver’s training camp and has remained an important member of the AHL Canucks since. He scored six goals and 13 assists in 23 games and remained a physical presence for Abbotsford. With his dominant performances throughout the playoffs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Blais found his way back to an NHL team in 2025–26.
Guillaume Brisebois
Brisebois has been a staple in the Canucks organization for virtually a decade. He was drafted 66th overall in 2015 by Vancouver and has split his playing time with the NHL club and their AHL affiliate. He is one of three active Abbotsford players who played with the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s old affiliate, with the others being Jett Woo and John Stevens.
Phil Di Giuseppe
An NHL and AHL veteran of sorts, Di Giuseppe joined the Canucks organization in 2021 after signing a one-year contract. He has earned multiple two-year deals since then, with his current one being in its final year. In both NHL and AHL play, Di Giuseppe has made a positive impact on the ice and fits into all spots in a lineup.
Ty Glover
Glover joined the Canucks organization via trade. In October 2023, he and fellow Pittsburgh Penguins player Mark Friedman were acquired by Vancouver in exchange for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek. Glover has played a good depth role for the AHL Canucks during this postseason run, taking part in five games.
Akito Hirose
A free agent signing out of the NCAA, Hirose inked his entry-level deal in March of 2023 and soon followed this up with a two-year contract after an impressive seven-game showing with Vancouver. He has spent the past two seasons predominantly with Abbotsford and will become a group-6 UFA at the end of this season if not signed.
Dino Kambeitz
Abbotsford was familiar with Kambeitz when they signed him to a one-year deal back in July of 2024. Prior to joining the AHL Canucks, he had spent three seasons as a member of the Bakersfield Condors, a team Abbotsford had faced twice during this stretch. He and Glover have traded places in the lineup at times during this playoff run, with Kambeitz slotting into eight of the AHL Canucks’ matches.
Linus Karlsson
You won’t find many Abbotsford fans who aren’t familiar with Karlsson. The team’s leading scorer was acquired by the Canucks organization back in 2019, as he was traded to Vancouver from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jonathan Dahlén. Since signing his entry-level contract and joining Abbotsford in 2022, he has remained a staple in the team’s offence.
Jujhar Khaira
The newest member of the AHL Canucks, Khaira is no stranger to the province of BC. Originally from Surrey, Khaira spent NHL time with the Edmonton Oilers (who drafted him 63rd overall in 2012), Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild before being traded to Abbotsford in the AHL this season.
Danila Klimovich
Klimovich was Vancouver’s first selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, going 41st overall. He joined Abbotsford the season after he was drafted and has spent the past four seasons with the AHL Canucks. His entry-level contract expires after next season.
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Kirill Kudryavtsev
Kudryavtsev was a seventh-round selection for Vancouver in the 2022 NHL Draft, but during his time with Abbotsford, he has looked much better than what his draft round would suggest. The defender signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks in 2023 but did not make his organizational debut until the 2024–25 season.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Lekkerimäki was Vancouver’s first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, going 15th overall. Highly touted as one of the organization’s top prospects, he made his Abbotsford debut in 2024, around a year after inking his entry-level contract. The 2024–25 season was his first full year with the AHL Canucks.
Victor Mancini
Mancini may have one of the more popular acquisition stories on this list, as he was one of three pieces sent to Vancouver as part of the J.T. Miller trade from January 2025. While he initially reported to Abbotsford during the regular season, Mancini also spent 16 games with the Canucks throughout the back half of the season. His playoff efforts have made him one of the team’s more highly-coveted assets.
Cole McWard
McWard joined the Canucks organization around the same time as Hirose and was also signed out of the NCAA. The defender played his first game for Abbotsford at the start of the 2023–24 season. Lineup shifts throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs have forced him out of a regular spot, but he has still played in 12 of the team’s games. McWard currently is not under contract for the 2025–26 season.
Ty Mueller
Vancouver selected Mueller 105th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He signed his entry-level contract last March and joined Abbotsford for his rookie season a few months later. As a first-year player, Mueller has been lights-out for Abbotsford, even making his NHL debut at the tail end of Vancouver’s 2024–25 season.
Tristen Nielsen
Nielsen, a product of BC hailing from Fort St. John and spending three seasons with the Vancouver Giants, has been with Abbotsford since the team’s inaugural season. He signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks organization in 2023 and will become an RFA at the end of the 2024–25 season.
Aatu Räty
A member of the AHL Canucks for the past three seasons, Räty became part of the Canucks organization after Vancouver traded their former captain, Bo Horvat, to the New York Islanders. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, he has been sidelined on a couple of occasions due to injuries. Even so, he has still registered three points in six games played.
Max Sasson
Another successful NCAA free agent signing, Sasson inked a deal with the Canucks in March of 2023 after two seasons at Western Michigan University. His first season with Abbotsford was in 2023, during which he played in seven regular season games and six playoff matches. Sasson will be an RFA at the end of Abbotsford’s playoff run.
Artūrs Šilovs
The playoff hero in 2024 with Vancouver and in 2025 with Abbotsford, Šilovs was selected by the Canucks in 2019 with the 156th overall pick. He signed his entry-level contract in the same year and didn’t make his Abbotsford debut until the 2021–22 season. Since then, he has split time with both Vancouver and its AHL affiliate.
Nate Smith
Smith was a recent Abbotsford signee, having joined the team after signing with the Canucks organization on the first day of the 2024 free agency period. He has played a big depth role for the AHL Canucks since his arrival, dressing for 20 of Abbotsford’s 22 games. If he remains without a contract by the time the season ends, he’ll become a group-6 UFA.
John Stevens
While Stevens didn’t end up playing in any of Abbotsford’s Calder Cup Playoff games, he has been an instrumental part of their leadership group since joining the Comets in the 2019–20 season. He played 45 games in the 2024–25 regular season and scored four goals and 11 assists.
Nikita Tolopilo
An undrafted goaltender, Tolopilo signed an entry-level contract in March of 2023 and made his AHL debut a few months after that. He has mainly split Abbotsford’s starts with Šilovs throughout this span. After Abbotsford’s playoff run, Tolopilo will be an RFA.
Christian Wolanin
Wolanin is a seasoned NHL and AHL defenceman who ended up in Abbotsford after signing a one-year contract in July of 2022. After an impressive 55-point season, he was signed to a two-year extension that ends after this current season. As a key piece of the AHL Canucks’ defensive core for the past few years, it’s in the team’s best interest to keep Wolanin in their ranks.
Jett Woo
A longstanding part of the Canucks organization, having been picked 37th overall by the team in 2018, Woo has spent time with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate since 2020. Since signing his entry-level contract in 2019, Woo has inked short-term, one-year deals with the team that drafted him. Like many others in the organization, he’ll be an RFA once the end of the season hits.
Chase Wouters
Abbotsford’s captain since the 2022–23 season, Wouters joined the team in their inaugural year. Prior to this, he spent four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, three of these as captain. He inked a new deal with Abbotsford in June of 2024 which is set to expire after the 2025–26 season.
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